The present invention relates to a protective cover for the blade of an ice hockey stick and particularly to a cover for protecting the blade and surfaces which come into contact with the sticky black friction tape normally applied to the blade.
Ice hockey sticks generally comprise a blade, a shaft extending at an angle to the length of the blade and a throat area where the shaft and blade form the angle with one another. The angle between the shaft and the blade is known as the “lie” of the stick and generally most hockey sticks, at least in recent times, have similar lies. For decades, hockey sticks have been made of wood or wood laminates. Within the past few years, however, shafts have been made from aluminum or compositions of graphite, Kevlar® and other synthetics. The end of each of these shafts is typically hollow to receive the stem of a wooden blade, either as part of the original hockey stick or as a replacement blade. The wooden blades are attached to the metal or synthetic sticks, typically by using glue, the shaft end being expanded by heat to facilitate reception of the stem within the hollow shaft end. As the shaft cools, it contracts about the stem and the glue hardens, making an extremely durable bond between the shaft and blade. Also, hockey sticks are commercially available in senior or junior sizes. The difference is that the junior size has a slightly shorter shaft length and smaller cross-section.
Apart from normal on-ice use of hockey sticks, they are frequently subjected to substantial use and abuse. For example, younger hockey players typically mistreat their hockey sticks by using the sticks outside of the hockey rink. Typically, the off-ice hockey stick is used to flip or drive not only hockey pucks but rocks and other similar objects, for example, in the streets, parking lots, or during games of “street” hockey. As a result, the wooden hockey blades are often chipped, splintered or frayed along their edges, which degrades their effectiveness on the ice and creates a potential source of problems off-ice, for example, hooked clothing, ripped car seats, splinters and the like. The useful life of such mistreated and abused hockey sticks is therefore considerably shortened, oftentimes resulting in the need to purchase an expensive new hockey stick or at least a replacement blade because of the damage incurred off the ice.
Further, most players typically cover the blades with a sticky black tar-like friction tape to afford better control of the puck while on the ice. The presence of the tar-like friction tape on the blade, however, causes a variety of problems, including black markings left on various surfaces contacted by the black tape. For example, hockey sticks are normally transported by car or van. Contact between the tape on the blades and surfaces in the cargo area or trunk of the vehicle leaves unsightly black markings. Similar markings or stains also appear on floors or walls, causing unsightly appearances, requiring removal and which removal is quite difficult.
One form of protection for a hockey stick currently commercially available is a hockey stick bag. The bag is elongated and shaped generally to conform to the dimensions and shape of the hockey stick. The bag completely encompasses or envelops the entire hockey stick. These bags are essentially bulky, difficult to use and difficult to close. These difficulties have led to non-use of the bags, even when available. Additionally, a number of different coverings for hockey stick blades are disclosed in the patent literature, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,377,065; 5,127,649; 4,651,990 and 5,294,113. The coverings of these patents have various drawbacks, including the degree of difficulty of application of the covering to the hockey stick, cost and other factors. Accordingly, there has developed a need for a protective cover for a hockey stick blade which serves the purposes of protecting the blade from damage while also protecting adjacent surfaces from contact with the sticky friction tape normally applied to the blade and, at the same time, is inexpensive and readily and easily manufactured.